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By Mark Gruenberg
Upset by their companies’ refusal to protect them as they do vital jobs of delivering supplies during the coronavirus pandemic, gig economy workers, especially on the West Coast, were forced to strike March 30 against Instacart and DoorDash.
The thousands of drivers walked out because the two delivery services were not providing them with protective masks, sanitizer and other ways to arm themselves against the spread of the virus. And they weren’t the only ones.
The day before, Amazon warehouse workers on Staten Island rebelled against the monster retailer’s refusal to tell them that at least one co-worker had tested positive for the coronavirus, thus endangering the rest, and the workers then left. Workers at ten other Amazon warehouses told news services they learned of coronavirus dangers only by word of mouth. They haven’t walked – yet.
Days before, Teamsters waste disposal workers in Pittsburgh found their employer, Waste Management, did not provide protective equipment and also did not tell them it delayed opening the waste station for an hour, to 6 a.m., as a precaution. The walkout lasted a day, March 25, and ended only because the mayor met the local Teamsters leader to declare the workers would get their equipment....
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